Make the Hard Decisions — Don’t Avoid Them (Part 1)

The View From Above: Thoughts to Help With Everyday Life

August 3, 2026

Pastor Paul Stephens

Make the Hard Decisions — Don’t Avoid Them (Part 1)

Many of the decisions we face in life are difficult.

They require sacrifice.

They demand humility.

Sometimes they call us to obey God in an area where we have resisted Him for a long time.

Abraham faced one of the hardest decisions any person could ever imagine.

Out of nowhere, God challenged him in a way he had never been challenged before.

He was asked to surrender what he loved most.

Scripture Focus

Genesis 22:2

“Then the LORD said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’”

It was time to make a hard decision.

One of the remarkable features of this account is that Scripture does not record Abraham arguing with God or resisting His command.

Perhaps Abraham wrestled inwardly.

Perhaps he experienced the same emotional struggle that any of us would.

The Bible doesn’t tell us.

What it does reveal is what mattered most.

He obeyed.

All of our excuses…

All of our reasoning…

All of our rationalizations…

Ultimately become insignificant when God has made His will clear.

The heart of this story is simple.

God called.

Abraham obeyed.

That was the hard decision.

And he made it.

Perhaps today you are facing a difficult decision of your own.

Maybe God is asking you to take the first step toward restoring a broken relationship.

Perhaps obedience requires humility.

Maybe there is an area of your life where God has been speaking to you for some time, yet you have continued to resist.

Don’t avoid what God is asking you to do.

Today’s Challenge

Take time today to examine your heart honestly before the Lord.

Is there a difficult decision you’ve been postponing?

Is there an act of obedience you’ve delayed because it seems too costly?

Ask God for the courage to obey Him without hesitation.

The hardest decisions often become the greatest turning points in our walk with Christ.

Today may be the day to make the hard decision—and trust God with the outcome.